Marvelous Rumors from the Bullpen

Today we'll turn a recently added feature (where we discuss television series that would make great comics) on it's head to examine some of the recent rumors of Marvel properties being developed for the small screen.

HEROES FOR HIRE (focusing on ex-con Luke Cage offering to take on bad guys for a price)
DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON (a dynamic female duo, one with a bionic arm and the other a granddaughter of a samurai, open a private-detective agency)

I combined these two.  While Luke Cage is probably a strong enough character to build a series around (with or without Danny Rand) I don't think enough people even know who the DotD are and since Luke will need a supporting cast it makes sense to combine them (unlike the next category). 

I think this could really be enjoyable to watch and if they paired it with the correct show it could work.  If I were producing I think I'd start with a reverse Remington Steele approach and have the DotD all ready in business but lacking street cred so they bring on Luke Cage who's been recently let out of prison under "mysterious circumstances".  I'd leave Danny's guest appearance for the season ending cliff hanger of the second season.

MOON KNIGHT/ THE HOOD (a low-rent criminal discovers a cloak that gives him superpowers)

These two characters are not alike at all.  This leads me to believe that either a.) these two characters were never actually in the running or b.) the people in charge have only the slightest inkling of the characters they chose to develop.  If I were asked to produce it I might go with...

MoonKnight is always being compared to the Batman so to change things up I'd have Marc Spector not be the main character.  Actually that's the name of a long dead soldier who once died while under the influence of the "curse of Khonshu".  Other people who died while under the influence of the curse: Steven Grant and Jake Locksley who all now reside in the head of the main character of the television show - who's the latest person to fall under the "curse of Khonshu" which releases the vengeance of the fist of Khonshu: MoonKnight.

An entity that The Hood had been seeking for quite some time, in his battle to maintain control over New York's gangs.  Now that this new civilian has fallen under the curse and controls MoonKnight the battle between these two characters is on!

THE PUNISHER (one man wages a war on crime)

This television program would have to be cable or it would suffer from the A-Team's "many bullets, few deaths" syndrome.  If I was asked to produce this show I might....

Start things off with a Frank Castle all shot to hell.  He's powerless (and all out of ammo) to keep a federal task-force from breaching his compound and bringing Frank Castle in.  Can they escort this unique prisoner all the way to a judge and jury of his peers so that he can have his day in court?  Will Frank escape?  Will he be broken out?  If he's loose on the street will he kill again?  If so will it be a "bad person"? 

I'd insert a lot of "Cat & Mouse" into this concept much like "The Fugitive".

CLOAK & DAGGER (two mutant children, with interlinked powers of dark/light, struggle to find their place in the world)

As the resident "DC Loving" member of the FBU staff Cloak & Dagger have always been one of my faverites.  I'd personally go "balls to the wall" with this concept.  There would be so many special effects that this show couldn't afford to run weekly.

As "odd" as it sounds I'd really turn this into a mutated "Highway To Heaven" but instead of a good christian escorting an actual angel around the country righting wrongs I'd have Dagger (with her blades of solid light) continue to push Cloak (with his cloak of night) around the country - all the while trying to keep from feeding on human emotion (which their powers almost demand).

THE HULK (Bruce Banner flees when he's hunted for murdering.....himself )

I personally don't think this can work.  Let me provide you with a list of why not:

• The Bill Bixby/ Lou Ferrigno television show/ telefilms is still fresh in a lot of our minds.
• The two big screen movies made were not huge successes and failed to resonate with fans
• The Bruce Banner character's suffered from a few reboots as of late with the Hulk showing up in the Marvel "Ultimate" line of comics/ animated features.

Thoughts?

Have a great weekend,

Caine